Joey Johnston

Mention the Oklahoma State Cowboys — the program’s history — and what comes to mind? Um, let’s see. Barry Sanders. Yes, he could play a bit. Thurman Thomas. Same deal.

What else? Oh, yes. I’M 40! I’M A MAN!

Mike Gundy’s rant. Nothing accomplished by Oklahoma State — before or since — ever generated so much attention, especially in this Internet age.

Well, guess what? The Cowboys (7-0, 3-0 Big 12) are among nine remaining unbeatens in the FBS. They proved their worthiness by not only beating Missouri (28-23), but making them go three-and-out.

Now Oklahoma State faces No. 1-ranked Texas (7-0, 3-0) on Saturday. If the Cowboys win that one, Gundy will be THE man in college football.

Nobody thought No. 7 Oklahoma State would be a serious factor in this season’s Big 12 South race. For good reason. With Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, it has probably surpassed the SEC East as this season’s most difficult division. The Cowboys had promise, but they looked to be at least a year away.

Wrong.

The future is now.

In a league filled with excellent quarterbacks (Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Graham Harrell, et al), Oklahoma State’s Zac Robinson might be the most underrated of all. There’s an electrifying wide receiver in Dez Bryant (45 catches, already 11 touchdowns) and a more-than-capable runner in Kendall Hunter (955 yards, including 154 against Missouri).

The roster is fairly young, so it’s not difficult to imagine better days ahead.

But in terms of taking the next step, um, there’s that pesky matter of playing at Texas. No doubt Oklahoma State fans start screaming at the sight of burnt orange. Three times in the last five seasons, the Cowboys had commanding leads against the Longhorns, only to lose each time.

Here are the grim details (grim from Oklahoma State’s perspective, anyway):

• 2004: Oklahoma State led 16-7. Texas won 55-16.
• 2005: Oklahoma State led 28-12. Texas, en route to a national title, won 47-28, spurred on by Vince Young’s 80-yard touchdown run on the second half’s first play.
• 2007: Oklahoma State led 28-14 at halftime and 35-14 in the third quarter. Texas won 38-35, scoring 24 fourth-quarter points.

There are demons to be exorcised here, certainly. But another thing has become certain: If the Cowboys take care of business, they will not only control the Big 12 South, they’ll be in the hunt for a national title. Just being in such a lofty position already makes this season a success.

Pickens, no doubt, is liking the return on his investment.

Q: How has Virginia turned it around since their horrible start?
— Oscar from Texas
A: Well, Oscar, playing at home has help. The Cavaliers (4-3, 2-1 ACC) have climbed back into the league race by winning three straight at Scott Stadium, including a very pivotal 16-13 overtime win against North Carolina.

When Virginia seemed to be fading, it lost at Connecticut (45-10) and at Duke (31-3) and the bowl-game possibilities were not good.

We’ll know a lot more about Virginia after Saturday’s trip to Georgia Tech (6-1, 3-1). Road trips weren’t a problem last season, when the Cavaliers went 9-4 while winning four of six road games.

More factors? Health and experience. Virginia was without running back Cedric Peerman (knee) against Duke. Quarterback Marc Verica made his first start against UConn.

As for Virginia’s overall viability in the ACC Coastal, I still like Virginia Tech to prevail and get to the league title game, particularly because the Hokies already have a victory against Georgia Tech (20-17).

Q: Who’s the favorite to win the rushing title? I’m no longer liking Javon Ringer’s chances.
— Mike Crane from Davis, Calif.
A: I’ll disagree with you, Mike, and stick with the Michigan State’s running back. Sure, Ringer didn’t look great against Ohio State (16 carries for 67 yards) and has failed to crack the 100-yard barrier in two of his last three games.

Then again, he still has 1,179 yards for the season. And the two guys who were supposed to be the first-team All-Americans — Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno (762 yards) and Ohio State’s Chris “Beanie’’ Wells (619) — are well off the pace for a variety of reasons, including injuries.